Another Reason to Ask for an Accessible Hotel Room

Note to those who don’t click through to the article: Dangling prepositions aside, Kevin Buckler is an able-bodied race car driver.

Mr. Buckler finishes off his routine with 20 to 30 minutes of brisk cardio. When he is in a gym, he uses a stationary bike, stair stepper or treadmill. When he is on the road or at the race track, he goes for a run outside or for a ride on his mountain bike. … He always carries his rubber resistance bands, which he can use in place of dumbbells and strength machines when a gym is not available. If a hotel has a wheelchair-accessible room, he requests it because it has the large rails to tie his bands to.

I wrote the journalist to state my feeling about Mr. Buckler’s behavior. She replied that “if at any point in his stay someone who really does need the wheelchair accessible room is checking in he will switch rooms or move to another hotel”. She said this wasn’t made clear in the article. Still it is bad behavior. He can go to a gym.

Able-bods always say that. How many hotels are actually going to call up a guest who is already set up in a room and tell them they have to move?

I’ve been walked by hotels that said they didn’t have any accessible rooms. They have no idea who is able-bodied and who is not. They’re not going to start calling all the accessible rooms and ask the existing occupants if they’re willing to move.

How many people have you ever seen jump up, pull up their pants, and leave the accessible stall when someone with a wheelchair turns up who needs it? Most of the time they have no idea someone is waiting!

That’s just bullshit. It gives the able-bod who is abusing the privilege a warm feeling, but it would never work out that way in real life.